SteelSeries – Aerox 9 Wireless review – Is the Naga to worry about?

What we liked

Steelseries risk taking

The SteelSeries Aerox 9 Wireless is an unprecedented experience, at least, from what we know (don’t hesitate to correct us in the comments). It’s the first time thata major peripheral manufacturer tries the crazy adventure of combining a honeycomb mouse with the multiple buttons of mice designed for MMOs and in a more secondary way for MOBAs. And overall in design, there’s objectively not much to throw in the Aerox 9 Wireless. Those who don’t like the look of dimple mice still won’t like dimple mice, those who can’t use a numeric keypad on the edge of their mouse still won’t, but those who have the habit of one or other of the characteristics will perhaps be tempted.

The form

The Aerox 9 Wireless is no small mouse. She wants to be more on the “bulky” side and particularly high, but this is easily justified: the idea is to ensure that your thumb falls right in the middle of the buttons located on the left edge. It is not impossible that it is also to simply give more space to the buttons themselves.

We will insist here on the fact that this type of mouse is not intended for lovers of “claw gripping” or “fingertip gripping”. She is really designed for palm grip users, those who take their mouse with full hand. We don’t see situations in which it will be easy for other types of users to have enough strength and precision to use the side buttons.

The weight

The first contact was surprising and we couldn’t help but wince. The mouse seemed heavy to us, despite its honeycomb structure. But you have to know how to put things in their context: our “usual” mouse is a Razer Viper 8k which weighs less than 70 grams, but which is not intended to be a mouse intended for MMO players.

Undoubtedly, FPS players will not be interested in this mouse because it is probably too heavy for them. On the other hand, it represents a serious advance in the field of mice with a multitude of buttons: we evoked Razer, their Naga Trinity weighs in the 120 grams. This Aerox 9 is closer to 90 gramswhich is quite an improvement for MMO players, who are the first to have very long sessions on their machines and to feel tired with a mouse that is too heavy.

Buttons

The left and right clicks are frank, precise and give full satisfaction. The TTC Golden Micro switches really do a great job. The question arises of their durability in the hands of a MOBA player for example.

Note also the presence on the upper part of the mouse of a DPI button and of course the wheel that can be clicked.

On the left edge of the mouse, you will find the very heart of the mouse, a dozen buttons, numbered please (we never really understood the interest to be honest, except perhaps to facilitate their identification). Their size and shape vary to better fit the curves of the mouse. The only tactile exception is the 5 key with a small ridge that allows you to easily recenter your thumb after an action.

After years of using Naga from Razer, the grip is not difficult, on the contrary, but This will most certainly require effort from novices.. All the buttons can of course be associated with different functions thanks to the proprietary software provided: you can for example have a more multimedia-oriented configuration when you are under Windows.

Impeccable glide

First time in a long time that we took in hand a Steelseries mouse and we must admit that the glide was a particularly pleasant surprise, we hope that this is the case on all the most recent models.

The PTFE feet are wide and their edges are slightly curved. We tested them on a number of carpets with different degrees of roughness and we never noticed any snags, jerks or brakes on slipping, even on the roughest carpets.

The TrueMove Air sensor also does a decent job for an MMO mouse. No unexpected hiccups, no unexpected acceleration, even in the most demanding FPS. As much to tell you that this will undoubtedly satisfy the vast majority of MMO players or MOBA.

What we liked with a downside

Advertised battery life

Steelseries highlights its battery as one of the most important points of its mouse.

A charge of 15 minutes is supposed to give a lifespan close to 40 hours. We could more or less verify it, with a charge of exactly 15 minutes giving us more than 39 hours of play.

Battery delivers over 150 hours of playtime. Yes, but not always. It depends on how you connect your mouse.

To hit the 150 hours you’ll need to connect your mouse to Bluetooth, which isn’t exactly optimal for gaming (but still fine for office use) due to the lightweight the G inherent in the connection. If you want to reduce the lag, you will have to go through the 2.4GHz infrared dongle provided, but your average lifespan will drop to around 75 hours (from our experience, we will remember that this figure can vary greatly depending on how you maintain your battery).

So it’s not false advertising, but we don’t really have all the information either.

What we liked less

RGB

It really tears the eyes out of a dimple mouse when not in use, my empire for an even lighter version with three less LEDs.

The buttons on the slice do not all respond in the same way

We couldn’t help but feel a difference in how the edge buttons responded. We don’t think it’s related to the button sensors themselves, we suspect it’s related to the honeycomb structure of the mouse. Those in the top row, for example, make less noise and give less tactile feedback, like those in the bottom row. Our theory is that these keys are closer to a more solid structure to hold them and that it offers, at least in new condition, a little more resistance than on the more central keys.

The proprietary program is not the most efficient

So. It is very rare that we speak well of proprietary programs, but… This one is a good competitor for the palm. Do you want to change your RGB lighting, do you want to configure your buttons? You have to zigzag between functions intended for streaming (what’s the point of a mouse?), advertising (I’ve already bought your product?) or even possibilities for sharing on social networks (but why??????) . Seriously. We need your utility. Make sure your utility does what is expected of it before adding an overlay of marketing trifles. We have only one Steelseries device on our computer, make sure we see it directly on the homepage.

The worst part is that the page dedicated to customizing your mouse is top notch, clear and complete. Do not hide it in oblivion.

Spit your bees, Myrhdin

No need to turn around jar, the Aerox 9 Wireless is one of the best mice in its class todaymainly because it is the only one that offers an update of the archetype with the latest innovations on this type of peripherals.

It does not revolutionize the genre and does not really offer a fundamental difference vis-à-vis the Razer Naga Pro (which has my favor because of the flexibility of its left edge) or the Logitech G600, but it paves the way for a potential update of these products which do not really benefit from the attention that we would like them to be given, with a more natural grip and a weight more designed for marathon runners than MMO players.

Don’t buy this mouse if you want to play FPS or games. RTS. She’s not meant for it, and she never even pretended to be. Buying the Aerox 9 is an investment of €159.99 PVMC in your passion for MMOs or MOBAs. If you’re on the lookout for anything that could give you a competitive advantage, this is definitely a product to look into.

This test was carried out by Myrhdin with a device provided by the manufacturer. Its writing is not the result of any financial transaction whatsoever between the writer or JeuxOnLine and the manufacturer or the companies representing it.